Energy policy key issue in Japan election campaign

Updated
December 05, 2012 08:58:00

Japan's election campaign has officially begun, in a race that's expected to return the conservatives to power in a landslide, and see the country's nuclear power plants returned to service. Energy policy is shaping as a key election issue in the December 16th poll after the Fukushima meltdowns last year.

TONY EASTLEY: Japan's election campaign has officially begun, in a race that's expected to return the conservatives to power and see the country's nuclear power plants returned to service.

After the Fukushima meltdowns last year, energy policy is shaping as a key election issue in the December 16 poll.

North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy reports from Tokyo the centre left Democratic Party is facing a shattering defeat after just three years in power.

(Naoto Kan speaking through microphone)

MARK WILLACY: He stands on a box outside a Tokyo train station, but no-one stops to listen to his stump speech.

This lonely politician is not one of the thousands of election wannabes, he is Naoto Kan, the man who was prime minister during last year's nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima.

Now he is just a humble backbencher seeking re-election and trying to stop the conservative Liberal Democratic Party winning power and switching Japan's nuclear plants back on.

(Naoto Kan speaking through loudspeaker)

"If the Liberal Democrats do indeed manage to get a majority again and look to restarting reactors again, then that's indeed something that I'd want to stop," says Naoto Kan.

(Shinzo Abe speaking through microphone)

And this is the man widely tipped to be Japan's 7th prime minister in five years.

In fact Liberal Democratic Party leader Shinzo Abe has been prime minister before, but a stress-induced bowel condition compelled him to quit.

It got so bad that during a state visit to India in 2007, he was forced to the toilet so often that it made it impossible for him to govern.

But Mr Abe now insists he's as good as new and the tip is he'll switch Japan's idle nuclear plants back on if he wins a mandate.

Although political analyst Koichi Nakano believes Mr Abe won't be saying that on the campaign trail.

KOICHI NAKANO: They don't particularly want to have a debate about this, they rather want to shelve the issue, pretend nothing much happened. They won't come out saying that 'we are pro-nuclear, let's continue' but instead they'll say something like, you know, 'Let's wait for three years and you know debate this calmly' and whatnot.

(Sound of protesters banging and blowing whistles)

MARK WILLACY: For months, anti-nuclear demonstrators have been holding weekly protests in Tokyo, demanding the complete phase-out of atomic power.

Polls suggest most people do want Japan to pursue out energy sources, although others still see nuclear as vital for this stagnant economy.

(Masaomi Onomichi speaking)

"The economy is cooling down" says 68-year old cleaner Masaomi Onomichi, "so if we stop all the nuclear reactors then the economy will get even worse," he says.

So it's quite likely that less than two years after the worst atomic accident in a quarter of a century, Japan could vote in a government that is not only pro-nuclear but for decades actually championed, promoted and built nuclear plants in this country.